AN IMMERSIVE Second World War event is returning to the county town.

Armour and Embarkation 2022 on Saturday, June 18, will see the build up to D-Day recreated in Dorchester.

A convoy of between 50 to 75 wartime tanks, motorcycles, Jeeps and trucks will arrive in town in the afternoon at a time to be confirmed on their way from the Tank Museum, Bovington.

The truly epic display will come into town through High East Street before parking up for public viewing at Brewery Square for an hour or two.

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Once there, the public will be able to see, smell and even touch some of this living history and speak to the owners and many period-dressed enthusiasts.

The event is being filmed by TV historian Dan Snow and his film unit for a documentary and people are invited to dress up in wartime clothing for the occasion. Dorchester will also be displaying a sea of flags on the day.

Event organiser and local historian Jack Beckett said: “All the vehicles in the convoy are privately owned. It is very rare to see such vehicles, so to see them and hear them on the road, in convoy is an exceptional sight.

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"It is important to us that we show and introduce people to their local history and what their grandparents and great grandparents would have seen 78 years ago."

The event pays tribute to the major part Dorset played in the build up to D-Day. Men who landed on Omaha Beach left from Weymouth and Portland and some 80,000 US troops were billeted in the county as they trained for the D-Day landings.

Close to half a million men along with 140,000 vehicles left for Nazi occupied Europe from Weymouth and Portland.

Phil Gordon, Dorchester BID project director, said: “We are so excited and delighted that Jack and the team found the energy and enthusiasm to organise this spectacular commemorative event for probably one final time for Dorchester and Dorset.

"We are encouraging the public to get fully immersed in this photo opportunity of a lifetime by dressing in period clothes of the 1940s."

Armour and Embarkation 2022 wishes to thank its main sponsors www.alliedforcesltd.com, www.Jeeparts.co.uk and the www.thevictoryshow.co.uk

Mr Beckett says he also wishes to thank Mr Gordon and the team at Dorchester BID along with support from Dorset Council, particularly the highways and sign shop team.